研究发现40年来歌词更简单重复性更高了

近日，欧洲研究人员分析了1980-2020年之间1.2万多首英文歌曲（涵盖了说唱、乡村、流行、节奏蓝调和摇滚等类型）的歌词，研究发现40年来，歌词变得越来越浅显直白、且重复性越来越高。

此外，研究还发现歌词所表达的情感也更趋向愤怒、且更加专注于自我，“me”（我）或“mine”（我的）等词越来越常见。

🤔️小作业：

1. According to the study, how have the emotions expressed in song lyrics shifted over the past 40 years?

A) From sadness and disgust to happiness and joy.

B) From anger and disgust to peace and contentment.

C) From happiness and joy to anger, disgust, and sadness.

D) From neutrality to intense expressions of love.

A) Pop  B) Country

C) Rap  D) Rock

无注释原文：

Song lyrics getting simpler, more repetitive, angry and self-obsessed – study

From: The Guardian

You're not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive, according to a study published on Thursday.

Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music fans everywhere.

A team of European researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across the genres of rap, country, pop, R&B and rock from 1980 to 2020.

Before detailing how lyrics have become more basic, the study pointed out that US singer-songwriting legend Bob Dylan – who rose to fame in the 1960s – has won a Nobel prize in literature.

Senior study author Eva Zangerle, an expert on recommendation systems at Austria's University of Innsbruck, declined to single out an individual newer artist for having simple lyrics.

But she emphasised that lyrics can be a “mirror of society” which reflect how a culture's values, emotions and preoccupations change over time.

“What we have also been witnessing in the last 40 years is a drastic change in the music landscape – from how music is sold to how music is produced,” Zangerle said.

Over the 40 years studied, there was repeated upheaval in how people listened to music. The vinyl records and cassette tapes of the 1980s gave way to the CDs of the 90s, then the arrival of the internet led to the algorithm-driven streaming platforms of today.

For the study in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers looked at the emotions expressed in lyrics, how many different and complicated words were used, and how often they were repeated.

“Across all genres, lyrics had a tendency to become more simple and more repetitive,” Zangerle summarised.

The results also confirmed previous research which had shown a decrease in positive, joyful lyrics over time and a rise in those that express anger, disgust or sadness.

Lyrics have also become much more self-obsessed, with words such as “me” or “mine” becoming much more popular.

The number of repeated lines rose most in rap over the decades, Zangerle said – adding that it obviously had the most lines to begin with.

“Rap music has become more angry than the other genres,” she added.

The researchers also investigated which songs the fans of different genres looked up on the lyric website Genius.

Unlike other genres, rock fans most often looked up lyrics from older songs, rather than new ones.

Rock has tumbled down the charts in recent decades, and this could suggest fans are increasingly looking back to the genre's heyday, rather than its present.

Another way that music has changed is that “the first 10-15 seconds are highly decisive for whether we skip the song or not,” Zangerle said.

Previous research has also suggested that people tend to listen to music more in the background these days, she added.

Put simply, songs with more choruses that repeat basic lyrics appear to be more popular.

“Lyrics should stick easier nowadays, simply because they are easier to memorise,” Zangerle said.

“This is also something that I experience when I listen to the radio.”

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Song lyrics getting simpler, more repetitive, angry and self-obsessed – study

From: The Guardian

You're not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive, according to a study published on Thursday.

你感觉自己变老并非偶然。周四发表的一项研究表明，歌词确实变得越来越浅显直白，且重复性高。

lyric /ˈlɪrɪk/ 通常复数，表示“歌词”，英文解释为“the words of a song, especially a pop song”

repetitive /rɪˈpet.ə.tɪv/ 表示“（尤指以乏味的方式）重复的，反复的”，英文解释为“involving doing or saying the same thing several times, especially in a way that is boring”如：a repetitive job/task 重复单调的工作/任务。

Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music fans everywhere.

此外，研究发现，过去四十年里，歌词表达的情感趋向愤怒且更加专注于自我，这一点也印证了各地古怪老乐迷的观点。

self-obsessed /ˌself.əbˈsest/ 表示“自我着迷的；专注于自己的；自恋的”，英文解释为“only interested in yourself and your own activities”如：a self-obsessed teenager 自恋的少年。

reinforce /ˌriː.ɪnˈfɔːs/ 1）表示“加强；充实；使更强烈；进一步证实（观点、看法等）”，英文解释为“to make a feeling, an idea, etc. stronger”举个🌰：Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。

2）表示“加固；使更结实”，英文解释为“to make a structure or material stronger, especially by adding another material to it”举个🌰：All buildings are now reinforced to withstand earthquakes. 所有建筑现都已加固，以抗地震。

cranky /ˈkræŋ.ki/ 美式，表示“坏脾气的；易怒的”，英文解释为“easily annoyed or upset”如：a cranky baby 任性的婴儿。

英式，表示“奇怪的，不寻常的”，英文解释为“strange and unusual”

A team of European researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across the genres of rap, country, pop, R&B and rock from 1980 to 2020.

一个欧洲的研究团队分析了从1980年到2020年12000多首英文歌曲中的歌词，这些歌曲涵盖了说唱、乡村、流行、节奏蓝调和摇滚等类型。

Before detailing how lyrics have become more basic, the study pointed out that US singer-songwriting legend Bob Dylan – who rose to fame in the 1960s – has won a Nobel prize in literature.

在阐明歌词如何变得更加浅显直白之前，该研究首先提到了20世纪60年代声名鹊起的美国歌手、词曲创作传奇人物鲍勃·迪伦（Bob Dylan），荣获诺贝尔文学奖。

legend /ˈledʒ.ənd/ 1）表示“传说；传奇故事”，英文解释为“a story from ancient times about people and events, that may or may not be true; this type of story”；

2）表示“（尤指某领域中的）传奇人物”，英文解释为“a very famous person, especially in a particular field, who is admired by other people”，如：a jazz/tennis legend 爵士乐/网球的传奇人物。

3）表示“（对图画、地图、硬币等的）说明，图例”，英文解释为“the words written on or next to a picture, map, coin, etc. that explain what it is about or what the symbols on it mean”

rise to fame / shoot to fame，表示“成名，出名”，英文解释为“to become famous”举个🌰：He rose to fame in the 90s as a TV presenter. 他在90年代作为电视节目主持人成名。

literature /ˈlɪt.rə.tʃər/ 作名词，1）表示“文献，文献资料”，英文解释为“all the information relating to a subject, especially information written by experts”

2）表示“文学；（尤指有传世价值的）文学作品”，英文解释为“written artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting artistic value”如：classical/modern literature 古典/现代文学。

Senior study author Eva Zangerle, an expert on recommendation systems at Austria's University of Innsbruck, declined to single out an individual newer artist for having simple lyrics.

该研究的资深作者伊娃·赞格勒（Eva Zangerle）是奥地利因斯布鲁克大学（University of Innsbruck）的一名推荐系统专家，她未指明哪位新兴艺人的歌词较简洁。

single sb/sth out 表示“（为给予批评、表扬等）单独挑出”，英文解释为“to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, especially criticism or praise”举个🌰：It's not fair the way my sister is always singled out for special treatment. 我妹妹总是受到特殊照顾，这不公平。

But she emphasised that lyrics can be a “mirror of society” which reflect how a culture's values, emotions and preoccupations change over time.

但她强调，歌词可以成为“社会的一面镜子”，反映文化的价值观、情感和关注点如何随着时间而变化。

preoccupation /priːˌɒk.jəˈpeɪ.ʃən/ 表示“（时常想的）想法、事情；关注；盘算，思虑，长久思考的事情”，英文解释为“an idea or subject that someone thinks about most of the time”举个🌰：My main preoccupation now is trying to keep life normal for the sake of my two boys. 我现在想得最多的是要为了我的两个儿子而尽力使生活保持正常。

📍牛津词典公布2021年度词汇：Vax 文中也提到了这个词：Then we ran the analysis and a story started to emerge, revealing how vax sat at the centre of our preoccupations this year. 然后我们进行了分析，报道开始出现，揭示了vax是如何成为我们今年关注的焦点。

“What we have also been witnessing in the last 40 years is a drastic change in the music landscape – from how music is sold to how music is produced,” Zangerle said.

赞格勒说：“在过去的40年里，我们也见证了音乐领域的巨大变化——从音乐的销售方式到音乐的制作方式。”

landscape /ˈlænd.skeɪp/ 表示“乡间，野外；（尤指乡村的）风景，景色”，英文解释为“a large area of countryside, especially in relation to its appearance”如：a rural/barren landscape 乡村/荒原；也可以表示“局面”，英文解释为“A landscape is all the features that are important in a particular situation.”

Over the 40 years studied, there was repeated upheaval in how people listened to music. The vinyl records and cassette tapes of the 1980s gave way to the CDs of the 90s, then the arrival of the internet led to the algorithm-driven streaming platforms of today.

从1980年到2020年的40年里，人们聆听音乐的方式发生了翻天覆地的变化，从20世纪80年代的黑胶唱片和盒式磁带，到90年代的CD，再到今天互联网时代催生了由算法驱动的流媒体平台。

upheaval /ʌpˈhiː.vəl/ 表示“剧变；激变；动乱；动荡”，英文解释为“a big change that causes a lot of confusion, worry and problems”如：a period of emotional upheaval 情绪波动很大的时期。

📍2020年8月《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述卡车业文章的标题就叫：The trucking industry is in the midst of upheaval—and hype 卡车运输业正在经历剧变，以及炒作。

vinyl /ˈvaɪ.nəl/ 表示“黑胶唱片”，英文解释为“records, as a way of recording and listening to music”举个🌰：Today's music lovers growing up with iPods may never know the sound of vinyl. 如今这些和iPod一起长大的音乐爱好者可能永远不会有机会听到黑胶唱片的声音。

cassette /kəˈset/ 表示“盒式录音（或录像）带；盒式录音（或录像）机”，英文解释为“a flat rectangular device containing a very long strip of magnetic material that is used to record sound and/or pictures, or a machine that uses such devices”如：a video cassette 录像带。

tape /teɪp/ 作名词，1）表示“磁带；录音带；录像带”，英文解释为“thin plastic in a long, narrow strip with a magnetic covering that allows sounds or sounds and pictures to be recorded and played again, especially one on which sound is recorded”如：magnetic tape 磁带。

2）表示“带子，胶带”，英文解释为“a long, narrow strip of material that is sometimes sticky on one side”

作动词，表示“用胶布固定；用胶布封住；用带子捆扎”，英文解释为“to use strips of sticky material, especially to fix two things together or to fasten a parcel”举个🌰：She taped a note to the door. 她把一张字条贴在门上。

algorithm /ˈælɡəˌrɪðəm/ 表示“算法；计算程序”，英文解释为“a set of rules that must be followed when solving a particular problem”。

📍stream /striːm/ 动词，表示“用流式传输，流播（无须待整个文件下载到计算机便可播放互联网上的视频或音频文件）；在线收听（或收看）”，英文解释为“to play video or sound on a computer by receiving it as a continuous stream, from the Internet for example, rather than needing to wait until the whole of the material has been downloaded”。

📍streaming 名词，表示“（音频或视频的）流动式接收，在线收听（或收看）”，英文解释为“the activity of listening to or watching sound or video directly from the internet”举个🌰：NTV Sports now comes with free live streaming for mobile devices. NTV体育台现在向用户提供免费的手机直播服务。

📍streaming service表示“流媒体服务，串流服务”，英文解释为“a service that sends video, music, etc., over the internet so that people can watch or listen to it immediately rather than having to download it, or rather than having to watch or listen at a particular time when something is broadcast”举个🌰：A streaming service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime provides unlimited streaming of TV shows, movies, comedy specials and original programming. 网飞或亚马逊Prime等流媒体服务可提供电视节目、电影、喜剧特辑和原创节目的无限流媒体节目。

For the study in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers looked at the emotions expressed in lyrics, how many different and complicated words were used, and how often they were repeated.

发表于《科学报告》（Scientific Reports）杂志的这项研究中，研究人员探究了歌词中表达的情绪、使用词汇的多样性及复杂性，以及这些词汇的重复频次。

complicated /ˈkɒm.plɪ.keɪ.tɪd/ 表示“复杂的；麻烦的；费解的”，英文解释为“involving a lot of different parts, in a way that is difficult to understand”如：complicated instructions 复杂的指令。

“Across all genres, lyrics had a tendency to become more simple and more repetitive,” Zangerle summarised.

赞格勒总结道：“在各类音乐中，歌词都有变得更浅显直白、重复性高的趋势。”

genre /ˈʒɑ̃ː.rə/ /ˈʒɒn.rə/ 表示“（尤指艺术的）风格，类型，体裁”，英文解释为“a style, especially in the arts, that involves a particular set of characteristics”举个🌰：What genre does the book fall into - comedy or tragedy? 这本书属于什么体裁——喜剧还是悲剧？

The results also confirmed previous research which had shown a decrease in positive, joyful lyrics over time and a rise in those that express anger, disgust or sadness.

该结果也证实了之前的研究发现，即随着时间的推移，积极、欢乐的歌词越来越少，而表达愤怒、厌恶或悲伤的歌词越来越多。

Lyrics have also become much more self-obsessed, with words such as “me” or “mine” becoming much more popular.

歌词表达也变得更加专注于自我，“me”（我）或“mine”（我的）等词越来越常见。

The number of repeated lines rose most in rap over the decades, Zangerle said – adding that it obviously had the most lines to begin with.

赞格勒说，几十年来，说唱歌曲中重复的歌词数增加最多，并补充说，显然，说唱歌曲重复的歌词数从一开始就是最多的。

熟词僻义，1）表示“做法，方法；看法，立场”，英文解释为“a way of dealing with or thinking about something or someone”举个🌰：The courts should take a tougher line with (= punish more severely) sex offenders. 法庭应对性犯罪者实施更加严厉的惩罚。

2）表示“（电影或话剧演员的）词，台词”，英文解释为“the words that an actor speaks when performing in a film, play, etc.”举个🌰：I only had two lines in the whole play. 在整出戏中我只有两句台词。

3）表示“（为达到逗乐、劝说或欺骗目的而说的）话语，词句，言语”，英文解释为“a remark that is intended to entertain, persuade, or deceive”如：a speech full of memorable lines 令人难忘的讲话。

4）表示“一串音符”，英文解释为“a short series of musical notes”

“Rap music has become more angry than the other genres,” she added.

她补充说：“说唱歌曲所表达的比其他类型音乐所表达的变得更加愤怒。”

The researchers also investigated which songs the fans of different genres looked up on the lyric website Genius.

研究人员还探究了不同音乐类型的歌迷在歌词网站Genius上搜索歌曲的情况。

Unlike other genres, rock fans most often looked up lyrics from older songs, rather than new ones.

不同于其他音乐类型，摇滚乐迷更倾向于搜索老歌而不是新歌的歌词。

Rock has tumbled down the charts in recent decades, and this could suggest fans are increasingly looking back to the genre's heyday, rather than its present.

近几十年来，摇滚乐在排行榜上的排名一路下滑，这可能表明越来越多的歌迷将目光投向摇滚乐的鼎盛时期，而非其当下。

tumble /ˈtʌm.bəl/ 可以作动词，也可以作名词，表示“跌倒；滚落；暴跌”，英文解释为“a sudden fall”举个🌰：The jockey took a nasty tumble at the third fence. 骑师在第三道栅栏处给重重摔下马来。Share prices took a sharp tumble following news of the merger. 合并消息传出，股价随即暴跌。（急剧下降）

🎬电影《指环王2：双塔奇兵》（The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers）中的台词提到：He took a little tumble off the cliff. 他掉下了悬崖。

the charts 表示“（每周唱片销量）排行榜”，英文解释为“the lists produced each week of the records with the highest sales”如：the dance charts舞曲排行榜。

chart /tʃɑːt/ 作动词，熟词僻义，表示“制定（行动计划）”，英文解释为“to arrange a plan of action”举个🌰：She had carefully charted her route to the top of her profession. 她周密地制订了达到她职业巅峰的行动计划。

heyday /ˈheɪ.deɪ/ 表示“全盛时期，鼎盛时期”，英文解释为“the most successful or popular period of someone or something”举个🌰：In their heyday, they sold as many records as all the other groups in the country put together. 在他们的全盛时期，他们唱片的销售量是这个国家中所有其他乐队唱片销量的总和。

Another way that music has changed is that “the first 10-15 seconds are highly decisive for whether we skip the song or not,” Zangerle said.

赞格勒说：“音乐的另一个变化在于，前10-15秒对我们是否跳过这首歌至关重要。”

Previous research has also suggested that people tend to listen to music more in the background these days, she added.

她还指出，先前的研究也表明，如今人们更倾向于将音乐当作背景声音。

Put simply, songs with more choruses that repeat basic lyrics appear to be more popular.

简而言之，那些包含更多重复朴实歌词副歌的歌曲似乎更受欢迎。

chorus /ˈkɔː.rəs/ 1）表示“（通常在歌曲每一节后的）副歌，合唱部分;合唱曲”，英文解释为“part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse (= set of lines) ”举个🌰：I'll sing the verses and I'd like you all to join in the chorus. 我唱独唱部分，我希望你们都加入合唱。

2）表示“齐声，异口同声”，英文解释为“the sound of a lot of people expressing approval or disapproval at the same time”；

3）表示“歌舞队；伴舞；伴唱”，英文解释为“a group of performers who, as a team, sing or dance in a show”

“Lyrics should stick easier nowadays, simply because they are easier to memorise,” Zangerle said.

赞格勒说：“如今的歌词应该更易让人经久不忘，因为它们更容易记忆了。”

stick /stɪk/ 作动词，表示“粘住，粘贴；固定住”，英文解释为“to cause something to become fixed, for example with glue or another similar substance”举个🌰：I tried to stick the pieces together with some glue/tape. 我想用胶水/胶带把这些部件粘到一起。

📍stick in sb's mind/head/memory表示“铭刻在（某人）的脑海里；经久不忘；铭记在心”，英文解释为“to remember something”

📍这里的stick意味着“被记住”或“留在记忆中”。

“This is also something that I experience when I listen to the radio.”

“这也是我在收听广播时的亲身体验。”

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